Royalty
by Aafje1998
Summary: Sele is one of Sinbad's generals. But when they meet Dunya, princess of the Musta'sim kingdom, Sinbad expects Sele to be her lost twin sister. Sele gets a dream about her past and how she met her saviour Sinbad. Rated T for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Sele is my OC, you can find her character reference on my deviantart .com (You'll find her pretty easy there) I just wanted to give her a nice story telling her past.**

**I don't own magi**

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"Sele! Can I talk to you for a minute!"

As I walk through the hall of the palace I can hear my king calling out to me. When I turn around I see him running towards him.

"Sin? What are you in a hurry for? Weren't you going to visit the princess?" At least that was what he had said during the meeting this morning. I didn't go with him as I did not see the point in joining him. I had enough work to do.

He looks me in the eyes with a dead serious look. "That's what I want to talk with you about. Can we get to a little more private place?" I nod and walk with him to one of his chambers. Why would he want to talk with me about her?

When we find our place to be alone at, he sits down. I sit down in front of him.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"I want to know what you know about that princess."

I look at him with surprise.

"I don't know anything about her. How should I know, I've never seen her before. Don't except me to know all about someone I've only seen once."

As I say so I can hear him laugh.

"That's not funny Sin! It's the truth!" I yell at him.

When he finally stops laughing his face returns to the serious look.

"I already thought you wouldn't know anything, but I still wanted to talk about this with you."

"What's the point of it when I don't know anything?"

"I thought I had heard some rumors about the Musta'sim family so I let Ja'far look up some documents about it. At first I thought the story I knew wasn't true, but deeply hidden there was this small part which confirmed it."

I sit back in my chair and just look at him, waiting for his story to start making sense.

"The thing is…" He says, finally getting to the point. "The Musta'sim kingdom had two princesses."

"So what? Do you want to know if the second one is still alive or something? All of Musta'sim's royalty has been murdered hasn't it?"

"It's not exactly like that. I think YOU are that second princess. The documents state that the oldest of the two disappeared when she was just a few years old."

I stand up from the chair. "What are you saying Sin? I have no memory of being a princess. There is no way someone like me could be royalty!"

"I know you don't want to believe it but think about it. The two of you are pretty similar. Your hair has the same color and even your eyes are the same. The way you act and talk, it's all the same."

I look away from him. I just don't want to listen to this.

"I cannot easily believe you Sin. What you are saying doesn't make any sense to me. If you do not mind, I have a lot of work left to do. If you excuse me."

I stand up and walk towards the door. Sin stands up to and grabs my shoulder before I reach the door. His sudden action makes me feel a little bit afraid.

"I know you won't believe all of it, but I let Ja'far bring the documents to your room. I want you to read them and see if you remember anything."

After that he lets me go and I can return to my daily work. What Sinbad said to me, does not leave my mind and because of my absent mind during work, I return to my room early.

When I walk inside I see the documents Sin was talking about laying on the desk. I take of the veils covering my legs and head and throw them on the bed. After that I sit down and take a look at the documents. As Sinbad asked of me, I read every single one of them. After reading most of it I can't really see why I actually had to do this. All that's been described is: What the country looks like, how the country was governed and more stuff like that. But as my king asked me to read all of it I continue reading. Finally at the end, I find the part Sin was referring to. It's small and pretty hard to read, but I can understand what they were trying to say here.

_The king and queen of the Musta'sim kingdom have been blessed with the birth of two princesses. The king announced to call the oldest one Selena and the youngest Dunya. _

After that a part comes which is impossible to read. I can only read the end of the document.

_After weeks princess Selena has not been found. The five year old princess disappeared while playing outside of the castle. It has been announced that the queen has died of sadness. _

Underneath the page I see that someone wrote something.

_The queen has killed herself. She did not want to see her only daughter's face since it would only remind her of her favorite, lost child._

I read the last sentence over and over again. This is enough reason for the twins to never be mentioned in any other document. If their queen really killed herself because her most favorite child had been assumed dead, then that would mean Dunya was seen as an unwanted child. I shake my head in order to get rid of the thought. I'm sure she wasn't really unwanted. Her mother was just sad and just felt miserable by looking at a face exactly the same as the one of her lost child. I don't even know if I can believe the words written there. Sin wanted me to read this part. I'm sure he thinks I'm this princess Selena. I have to admit our names are almost the same, mine just missing the –na, but that does not mean that girl is me.

The thoughts just can't leave my head, so I decide to make it a day and head to bed. As I can already imagine the people storming into my room asking why won't come down for dinner, I lay down. I take the bracelets of my arms and stare at the tons of scars on them. _You really think I'm that princess, don't you? Sin? _ As I think that I close my eyes and let sleep take over.

The next moment I'm sitting in a field full of flowers. I sit there making a flower crown, laughing. All of a sudden a shadow comes over me. As I look up I see three guys behind me. They don't look like the people I'm always around.

"Look at this kid" The first one says.

"Isn't she from the royal family?" The guy next to him says.

"Really? The first one answers.

"You don't recognize her? She's one of those princess twins." Number three answers him.

"In that case…."

Before I know it, I feel strong hands holding me down. I try to struggle but I'm not able to break free.

"Don't struggle so much, you stupid brat!" He says. I don't like the way he talks to me and bite into his hand.

"You brat!" He takes his hand of me and I think I'm free. I'm not. The next moment I'm hit. I fall down between the flowers and see my vision slowly fade. The last thing I see is one of the men reaching out to me.

The next thing I see makes me immediately understand what I'm seeing. This dream … it's my past. The past I've always been cursing. I stand in the middle of a crowd. My arms are bound behind my back and I cannot run away. People are yelling. They hold money in their hands.

"How much for this young girl from Musta'sim. Rumor has it she's royalty!" The man next to me yells.

"20 gold pieces!"

"That's too low! 30 gold pieces!"

"35"

"40"

They keep screaming these numbers. I don't want to listen and turn my head away.

In the end I'm sold to an old man. A trader he calls himself. I don't care. I want to be home, but at the moment I've already forgotten what home's like. I remember flowers, but that's all.

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**So that was it for chapter 1. I don't know when I'll update, since I also have a Dramatical Murder fanfic to continue and school to attend to. Anyways let me know what you think of it ^-^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**

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I wake up and stare at the ceiling. I sit up and walk towards the window. Darkness has engulfed our peaceful country. Even though the darkness wants me to go back to my bed and sleep, I don't want to. I know that if I return to sleep my horrible dream will continue. I don't want to remember my past. That painful time back then. At the moment I just want to look at the stars and let my thoughts fly away.

_Why don't you go to sleep? _

_Don't you want to see it?_

_See that what you always wanted to know?_

_Don't you want to see me?_

The voice in my head speaks to me. I shake my head.

"I'm not in the mood to talk to you."

_Why not? Even if you don't want to see it, I do! So give me control and show me!_

"No!" I yell, but I'm too late. I feel my consciousness fall to the background. I'm only able to see myself walk towards the bed. As I lay down again I hear the words _'Let's have a nice dream'_ after which I fall back to the world of my past.

….

The cold floor of this dark room has become my new home. How much time has passed I can't remember. The old man, master I have to call him, he makes me do work every day. Most of the time I have to carry crates from the storage to wherever he wants them. Sometimes he wants me to keep him company. As he tells me he likes my hair and my small body, I feel shivers down my spine.

At night, when I'm finally free of that guy, my horrible day isn't over. His other slaves hate me. They won't let me sleep and bully me when we're alone. They grab my shackles and makes sure I can't fight back. With any sharp object they can find, they'll cut in my arms. When they hear me cry and scream, they laugh. My pain is their joy.

And then there's that day. I wake up by the sound of the door opening. I can see my master walking towards me and he grabs my shackles. A sharp pain flows through my arms as my wounds from the other day start opening again. I can hear some laughter from the other side of the room. Of course they like seeing me in pain.

Master throws me on the street and makes me carry crates. It's not the worst job, but for once I can't do it. I have no idea why. It's just that I my head feels heavy and I can't concentrate on my work. The only problem is that if I don't do what I'm asked to do, I'll be punished. Remembering my first weeks as slave, the time where I would still resist, makes me pick up the crates. My arms try to tell me to stop. I feel sorry for them, but I have to do this. They won't help me with giving me pain. If only pain didn't exist in this world.

I carry the crates to the harbor where I meet with my master again. He doesn't look at me. He hasn't looked at me for a while now. Except for the fact that I exist and that I'm his possession, how much does he remember about me? Has he completely forgotten those time he'd harass me? I get the feeling he doesn't. It has been an awful time since I was last called by him. I won't think any more about this. Maybe it's better he doesn't look at me. It'll make things a bit more easy for me. Thinking so, I spend the rest of my day carrying his stuff from place to place.

Then the time arrives where I'll be alone with the other slaves again. The look on their faces is different today. It seems they don't just want to cut my arms today. I try to sit in the corner of the room to eat my small piece of bread. I should've known better after all this time. The "leader" of the slaves, Abdel, walks towards me and takes away my food. All I can do is watch him eating it. After that he grabs me by the neck. I can't breathe. Behind me I can hear some female slaves hold their breaths. They won't come to help. No. They're glad I'm the victim and not them.

"I'm getting really tired of your act, little princess." The guy says as he tightens the grip on my throat.

"First you're crying like a little baby and now you act like you're the best in this entire room. We decided that just torturing you isn't good enough anymore. I want to go further…."

He nodded to a guy behind him. That one gave him a small knife. He brings the knife to my face.

"Do you know what this is?"

"A knife."

Does he really think I'm stupid or something. He's the one who's stupid. I mean if he has a knife he shouldn't use it to torture me. He could use it for way better things. It seems he's too stupid to think of such a thing. It's not like I care anyways. As I thinks such things, he continues his little talk.

"Exactly and now for its use."

"I guess you're not going to use to get yourself some nice freedom or something." I say with a small grin.

"Maybe later." I can see anger on his face. Shit, I should've stayed quiet. "Today I'll use it on you. I'm getting tired of torturing you the same way all day. You already have enough scars for me. It's not like you can show yourself to someone the way you are right now. It's just that I'm missing something. I want to see you on the verge of death."

It then hits me. He's ready kill me. It's not like our master will miss me. Not at all. I don't think I can be of much use as his little girl slave. I see the knife getting closer and closer to my face. I want to prepare for my death, but I know I don't want to die.

"Abdel…" I try to say through the tears I cry. "Please, you won't gain anything by killing me."

He begins to laugh. His whole gang laughs. I was stupid. Stupid to think that he'd stop. This is exactly what he wants to see. I'm feeding his sick desire for blood. But Abdel doesn't kill me immediately. While I close my eyes to wait for death I suddenly feel a strong pain run through my left arm. Screaming I look at my arm. I can see his knife sunk deep into my flesh. I try to breath, but I can't. Abdel still holds my throat. My vision turns black. _This is it._ I think as I fall into what I think of as my last restplace.

_"__Do you want to live?"_

_Yes_

_"__Do you want power to survive?"_

_Yes_

_"__Then would you except me?"_

_Who are you?_

_"__I am your power. Do you want me to save you? Do you want me to keep you alive?"_

_Yes_

_"__Then leave it to me"_

…

…

…

I open my eyes once again. I'm still alive? How? I look around and see the room I'm always kept in. At my feet I see Abdel. I scream. Abdel's head has been almost cut off. The other guys that'd always kept him company lay dead in the corner of the room. The females are still in the same corner as always, but start to tremble and panic when they see me looking at them. In my hand I hold a knife, Abdel's knife. It's covered in blood. I'm covered in blood. What did I do? Was it actually me? Was it me or….? What am I forgetting?

I don't get the time to think. I hear the door swing open and there he is: my master.

_So even if it was me, I'm dead now. _My heart stops beating. I'm scared.

"Who did this?" He sounds shocked. Duh, all his great slaves have been murdered in one night. I can't answer his question. I don't know if it was really me who killed them.

"Her…" I hear a soft voice behind me say.

"It was her. She suddenly became violent. She just attacked them and killed every single one of them."

She points at me. It was me. My master steps towards me. He sits in front of me.

"You. What's your name?"

"Se….le….." I can't pronounce the last part of my name. I'm too scared and my voice just won't help me out.

"Well then Sele, are you ready to have some fun?"

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**The story is going great. As long as the adventures of Sinbad manga is here, I can continue this story forever. Amazing. Sele's horrible past is only just getting started. Be patient and I'll update as soon as I can.**


	3. Chapter 3

He calls it fun, I don't. Well it's not like it wasn't fun in the end, but just not in the beginning.

I follow my master with the thought that he'll execute me the moment he gets the chance. He doesn't . Instead he takes me to his office.

"Sit down." He says pointing at chair in front of his desk. I hesitate. Am I really allowed to do such a thing? But then again, disobeying his order is a crime so I sit down. He doesn't look to happy, but he doesn't seem to want to kill me. I calm down a bit.

"So it was you who killed my slaves?"

I don't look him in the eyes. I'm still scared of him. Even if I don't want to I'll have to answer him.

"I think so. I don't know for sure."

"And how do you not know if you killed 10 of my slaves?"

"I didn't see it. It was that voice that told me it would help me."

"I'm not interested in your imaginary friend. I believe it was you, I mean look at you." He points at my bloody clothes. "With such a look it has to be you. All right," He stands up "come with me."

We walk through the house and stop at a small wooden door.

"Get in." He says. "Clean yourself and get to the amphitheater."

He walks away, leaving two slaves with me. Inside the room is a bath. I take of my clothes and sit down in the bath. The blood slowly makes the water turn red. It's fine to me. As long as I'm no longer covered in it it's fine. It's not like I was supposed to get actually clean. I take this one moment to look at myself in the reflection of the water. I haven't seen my reflection in quite some time and shocks me. I look totally different. My snow colored skin has become tanned. My hair has grown longer and points into all directions. But what surprises me the most are my eyes. The last time I saw them I was sure they were totally blue. Now I'm looking at those same eyes, but this time the upper part has a small bit of pink in it. How strange. Is it something that comes with age maybe?

I make sure to wash of most of the blood and get out of the bath. The slaves dry me off and give me new clothes. Then they walk with me into town, straight to the little amphitheater build in the center of it. I don't see my master anywhere. The slaves just leave and I'm alone. Well that is until a man in armor walks to me. He grabs my hair and drags me with him. I yell at him. Who does he think he is? In the end he drags me to a chamber where there are a lot of scarred men. Gladiators I'm sure. The man in armor talks to another one. I can hear some of his conversation.

"This is the one slave Jalil told us about."

The other man looks at me.

"Are you sure? It's just a little kid."

"I'm sure. She just as he described her. Can you handle her?"

He nods and the armored man leaves the room.

The other man walks to me and gives a me little punch.

"You have to get on." He says and puts a sword into my arms. Huh? I have to do what? I don't get it. But I don't get any time to wonder as the man drags me to a door and throws me out of the room. I find myself standing in the arena. I hear people shout in excitement and indignation.

"Welcome dear people of Parthevia!" A loud voice says. "Are you ready for today's game? Of course you are. Then let's start. We let our games begin with a battle of this girl. It seems she's killed tons of slaves and is here for her punishment. Her opponent is Majid who has more than 30 victories now. Enjoy!"

A lot of cheering follows and I see the gate in front of me open. A big man walks out and smiles at me. He takes no times to talk. He just runs towards me and strikes. I can barely dodge but lose my sword in the process.

_Do you want help?_

It's that voice again

_You know, you're going to die if you don't do anything…. I thought you wanted to live on.._

"What's your deal. Aren't you the one who started this all."

_Ha, you're blaming me? If I didn't act, you'd be dead by now. I asked what you wanted and you said you wanted me._

I sigh. It does have a point. I want to survive, because one day I know I'll be free.

"Go ahead. Have fun."

_Thank you. Now I'll let you watch this time and not throw you to sleep like last time._

I fall out of control and watch something else move my body. _I_ produce an evil laughter and look back at Majid. Then_ I_ run and run. Before I know it, _I_'m sitting on his back. He looks at me with a strange look.

"You little bitch." He grabs me and tries to throw me on the ground.

_"__What? You don't want to have some fun." I _say and laugh.

"I'll have some fun with you." He grabs my hair and throws me down. I see his sword pointing above my head. I want to cry out, but the other me already says I shouldn't be afraid. I just trust her. She did a great job last time fighting unarmed against an armed man, so why not now.

I don't know how, maybe I blacked out but_ I_ manage to get away from his sword and grab my own. Majid has no change of winning now and _I_ take the first opening to finish him._ I_ climb back on his back again and stick my sword through his neck. All Majid can do now is die._ I_ get of him and fall to the ground. I've gotten the control of my body back, but I'm too exhausted to move. The crowd is silent for a while, but then they start to cheer. They want to shout my name only to find out they don't know it. That is until I hear him. My master. He speaks to the crowd.

"Welcome my slave Sele into the world of gladiator fights!" He tells them.

The crowd goes wild. "Sele! Sele! Sele!"

Shut up that's not my name, I want to say, but I'm tired. I can do nothing but accept that this is my fate. I can the voice in my head calling for me.

_I hope you're ready to accept me as your power._

I don't want to but at the moment I know I can't survive without it.

After this I have the full attention of my master again. He plays with my hair again and gives me presents before I go into battle. I know it isn't me he likes, it is the other me and so I tell him.

"It's not me who fights for you." I say.

"If it's not you than who does?" He says with a smile.

"It's a voice. Someone inside me." I know it sounds stupid, but I can't explain it well.

"There you go with that voice of you again. Can't she come out right now?"

I look away. I don't know. I never gave her the chance to come out.

"I don't know." I whisper.

"Well I don't care. As long as you keep winning I don't care who fights. The people love you Sele."

I don't care about the fact he still calls me with the wrong name. Sele is my new name. Sele is the one the public loves. Selena is the one who died a long time ago.

"That's right I have a new present for you." He stands up and grabs something from the table. They're two long, golden bracelets connected to each other with chains.

"Put them on." He says.

I do as he says. They're a little too big for me so I don't want to wear them. But then again they're really pretty and the ideal way to hide the scars on my arms.

"Do you like them?" He asks. "I let them make for you. Try to shake them."

I look at him with an expression that says _did you go crazy? _But when I shake them I see why wanted me to do that. From both bracelets an knife appears.

"Wow, that's awesome." I hug my master. I'm really happy. I like this gift more than the others he gave me.

"Now then, show me a victory with those." He says a he pets me head.

_"__Okay."_

Of course I win. I always win. I keep winning for many times. I'm more famous than any other gladiator will ever be. Stories of the nine year old gladiator girl spread fast. Before I know it my master gets the idea to move out of Parthevia.

"In Reim you can get more money as a gladiator. My normal business runs everywhere and I want more money with you." Is what he said to me.

A few days later our whole group started travelling. A long travel it would become so I was prepared for everything. We walk the whole time and only stop to eat and sleep. The weather is hot, so horribly hot. It didn't differ much from always, but now that I had to walk underneath the burning sun day in day out it felt a lot hotter than any other time. Still, we traveled fast. In a week time we'd arrived at the border between Reim and Parthevia. It'd only take a week more to arrive at the capital. And when we were almost there that day came.

I walk as I've been doing the whole time. In front of me I see my master sitting on the back of a horse. I clench the bracelets on my arms. It reminds me of the time Abdel threatened me with the knife a long time ago. Back when I thought he was stupid for not using to kill our master. Now I was the same. I always carry two deadly knifes with me, but never do get the idea to kill him. Why? Just because I can't. Then I see a cloud of dust coming our way. When the cloud is close I can see it is made from the dust flying away from the horses coming towards us. A group of bandits has come to attack us.

I'm afraid. Afraid when I see them coming. As they stop and hold a sword against the throat of my master I hear him call me.

"Sele, help me right now."

I don't hesitate. I don't even need _ her _for this. I can take this man myself. I jump towards him and before I know it, he falls down to the ground. My master is safe and I'm covered in blood once again. The others aren't happy at all and start killing of the rest of our group. Once again I'm scared. Master just gives his horse the order to take him away and so he flees. I'm left behind. Was I stupid for thinking he liked me? I don't need to ask. I was stupid. He'd never stay behind for a little slave. No one would do such a thing. I cry and that's noticed by one of those bandits. He raises his sword to finish me. But I dodge. I'll run. Isn't this what I always hoped for. The one change to be free. But as I try to run I can feel a sword cutting my back. I fall down. It hurts. It hurts so bad.

_I'm sorry to take away your moment of fun, but I guess it's better to let me handle this._

"I doubt even you can do something." I mumble, but I know she can do it. And so I fall unconscious, thinking that the next time I wake up might not come.

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**Next chapter Sinbad will appear.**


	4. Chapter 4

I wake up to see a ceiling. How strange I'm not dead? I hear a door close, but I can't immediately see who has entered the room. I'm scared. What if I've been taken captured once again? I want to be free for once in my life. I try to stand up and walk away. But shortly after I stand I fell a huge pain in my back which makes me fall to the ground.

"Dammit."

I hear footsteps coming closer until I see someone standing next to me.

"Are you okay?" He asks. "I'm glad to see you're awake but you shouldn't be moving. You've been terribly injured."

His amber colored eyes look at me with concern.

"I'm fine. I don't need help." I try to stand up again but fall down shortly after.

"You aren't fine." He says as he helps me up and puts me back into the bed.

I look at my feet. The shackles are gone. Then my arms? I panic a bit. If those bracelets have been removed he must've seen my arms. I don't want them to be shown. They're a part of me I can never show to people. I see the bracelets are still on my arms but that doesn't mean they've not been removed. I'm starting to hyperventilate and the boy notices that.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"A…arms….did…you….see….them?" I can barely speak to him.

"Your arms, no I didn't. You told me not to remove those bracelets didn't you?" He tilts his head.

I calm down hearing that, but he doesn't make any sense. I've never met him before.

"When? I can't remember seeing you before."

"Really? You remember meeting me a few days ago, when I found you?"

I shake my head.

"I only remember being attacked and…" Then I remember that I had lost the control of my body.

"And what?" The boy asks.

"I don't know. Can you tell me how you found me, uh…"

"Sinbad, sure. I was taking a walk to get some rest from all the things I was doing when I saw you laying in the sand. I quickly went to you to see if you were even alive. You were badly wounded and on the verge of death. When I wanted to help you, you woke up and told me to not do anything to your arms, otherwise someone called Sele would cry. Then you fell back into unconsciousness. So I took you with me and took care of your wounds. I wonder who that Sele is by the way. Can you tell me, or is it some kind of secret?"

"That's me." I answer him. "And you weren't talking to me back then."

"Huh?" Sinbad looks at me with surprise. "What do you that wasn't you and why would you talk about yourself in third person anyways? What even happened to you?"

"You're asking way to much questions. I can't tell you what happened as I want to forget about that, but I can tell you about me. I'm Sele and the one you were talking to, well I guess you can call her Sele too. It's too difficult to explain. And as long as you don't need her, there's no need for us to talk about it anyways.

"That's fine. You don't have to tell everything to me. You should eat and rest some. I have to go back to work for now but I'll be back in a few hours."

"Tell me about yourself then." I say and he gives a smile back. So this is what it feels to be free.

"Ah Sinbad," I say before he leaves the room.

"What is it?"

"Thank you for removing my shackles. Thank you for making me free again."

"Don't worry about it. It was the right thing to do."

…..

I open my eyes once again. I feel horrible, my whole body asks me to go back to sleep, but I don't want to. I sit up and walk around. Outside the window I see the sun rise. I don't expect Sin or Ja'far to up yet so I decide to walk around the palace for a bit. My head hurts and my whole body aches but I just walk. Without realizing it I end up at Dunya's room. Dunya, I pity her. The two guards standing in front of her door greet me.

"Ah, Sele. Aren't you a bit early? I thought you liked to sleep long?"

"Yeah, but I was having terrible dreams. So I decided to walk a bit. How's Dunya?"

"I didn't know you were interested in her. She's not doing really great I heard, but we're only guarding so much information is not known to us."

"I see. Is it okay if I go inside?"

"It's fine with me." One of the guards says and the other nods in agreement.

I step inside only to see my sister who looks terrible, asleep. I sit down next to her and before I know it tears fall from my face.

"Dunya, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for having you feel a those miserable things by yourself. I'm so sorry I wasn't there as your sister. I'm sorry to not remember."

I say these words while crying. Suddenly I feel her hand touch mine. Quickly I wipe away the tears on my face.

"Why are you crying."

It's the first time I hear her talk. I guess we sounds quite similar, except for the fact her voice has disappeared quite a lot.

"I only just remembered you. Wouldn't you be feeling sad remembering your family after 18 years."

She smiles at me.

"I don't know what you mean, but if I make you feel that way then tell me your feelings."

"You don't remember either?"

"Remember what?" She looks at me trying to understand what I just said.

I want to tell her everything. But can I tell her? I've been told that Dunya's beyond saving. So this might be the only chance I get to tell her about my existence. But isn't that the part of my I've always wanted to hide? Even if she's my sister to me she still feels like a sort of stranger. So I can't share things I can't even tell my best friends.

"It's nothing. I'm sorry to have disturbed your sleep. I'll leave you alone. Sleep well."

I walk away from her bed. When I've almost reached the door, I hear her say something to me.

"You know," she says, "I sometimes dream I have a sister. We always play together. I wonder why I dream such things."

I turn around and try to give her a smile without bursting out in tears again.

"Maybe a view of the past or of how life could've been. Dreams are strange things." I say as I walk out of the room.

I greet the guards and decide to go back to bed as I'm still not feeling any better (only worse actually). But somehow I'm not allowed to go back to my room before I'll collapse in the hallway. I can see the door to my room, but as I'm getting closer and closer to it I suddenly hear a familiar voice behind me. It's Ja'far. So he was awake.

"Sele? Aren't you up a little early?"

Sure it was my luck to walk around the palace, feeling like shit, meeting Ja'far.

"Ah yeah, I couldn't sleep well so I took a walk."

"Are you feeling all right? You look pale."

"Ah yes. I'm …." 'Fine' I want to say, but the as the ground came closer to my face I know I'm not. I feel Ja'far's arms catch my weakened body.

"Sele, hey, Sele! Hang in there!" His voice sounds so full of concern.

"Must be something with the family." I joke before my vision blurs and Ja'far's voice doesn't reach me any longer.

* * *

**Back to the past again ^-^ The past will continue from chapter 34 of the adventures of Sinbad manga.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Look Sele." Sinbad holds up what seems to be a dress.

"You actually went out to buy me clothes?"

"Yeah, I don't know if it really fits, but you can't walk around in those old clothes of yours."

I feel a bit guilty. All I've done these past days is lying in bed and having Sinbad spend his already way too less money on me. I want to do things for him, but the I haven't been able to do so yet. . All the time Sinbad kept me company and took care of my wounds and told me about his adventures, I've grown fond of him. So as I'm feeling like my old self again I'll ask him if I can be useful.

"Sinbad, is there anything I can do for you. You've done so much for me and I feel like I must repay you."

"You don't have to anything." He says. "It's not like you can help me. Unless you can find a way to make money."

He starts to laugh saying that last part, as if he doesn't mean it.

_'__If you want to, I'd be glad to fight for you in the colloseum.'_

I want to say, but I don't. It'd be stupid to go back to being a gladiator when I've just been set free. But then what can I come up with to help him? But I don't have to think about it. Seeing the sparkle in his eyes I understand he's already found something.

"Got an idea?" I ask him.

"What about street performing? I have my stories and I know how to tell them."

"Performing? Yes, if people love it you can get some money. I can help you. My wounds have already recovered."

"Okay, then let's make something nice of it."

Sinbad says as he reaches out his hand to me. I accept it. Performing on the streets sounds way better than killing people in the Colloseum.

So we make plans the rest of the week. Where to perform, how to make it entertainment, and more. Sinbad will be the one to do the performing, while I'll collect the money and invite people to watch.

And that is exactly how we'll do it. Even though I don't like talking to strangers, if I can help Sinbad by doing this, I'll talk to anyone who comes across. Our performance doesn't get too much attention in the beginning but when it does the money just comes towards us. Well, it's not enough to get Sinbad his registered company, but at least we can live more decent this way. So a week goes past and out little corner of the street got a lot of attention from children. They like the stories, who doesn't?

We keep on performing. Never giving up. And somehow it works. Even though our audience doesn't change, suddenly a man comes to Sinbad. Well it's more like Sinbad goes to him. He runs of the stage to the man standing behind the crowd. I decide to stay behind, collecting the money of that day. I can feel Sinbad's happy energy flow around me even though I'm not close to him. When I'm done collecting money and thanking people for watching, I walk to him. The man he's talking to looks rich. I feel a shiver going down my spine. What is he? With a small gesture one of his subordinates throws a bag into Sinbad's hands. I can see what's inside. Money. A whole lot of money. Unable to keep my curiosity to myself, I decide to come closer.

"Sinbad…" I whisper, he turns around. "What's with all the money?"

"Sele!" He smiles holding out the money for me to see. "My friend gave it to me. We can finally register my company. Aren't you happy?"

I let out a forced smile. Of course I'm happy for him, but the man… I feel like I can't trust him. I get the feeling Sinbad noticed this, as he points to him and speaks.

"You don't know him right? I mean, you weren't around when we met. This is my friend, the king of Balbadd: Harun."

A king… Somehow it feels so familiar seeing a king. As if, I don't know, like I've always been surrounded with these kind of people. I shake my head. I'm probably thinking about some sick people wanting me to fight for them. No way I'd ever met a king.

"Sinbad," I say. "I get the feeling you two want to talk and that I don't belong here. I'm going back to our room." As I turn away, I feel a hand on my shoulder. As a reaction I pull out the blades of my bracelets. I can stop myself just in time. I look at the king, with a blade pointed at his face. Quickly I pull back the blade and look away. What was I doing? What if I'd hurt him?

"I…. I'm so sorry" I can only stutter, but somehow he doesn't seem to mind.

"You didn't hit me, right? It's my fault for suddenly grabbing you. But tell me who you are. You weren't here the last time I came to visit. You don't look like you're from here."

"It's doesn't matter does it. I'm a shadow of the past, trying to start anew. And what I just did shows I still can't do that." I turn away again and run. I can hear the king ask Sinbad about me and the answer he gets. 'Don't mind her, she's had a rough time'. I'm sorry Sinbad. I'm sorry I'm a monster…

…..

I hear the door open and shut again. I look up only to see Sinbad walking into the room. He looks extremely happy, making the sadness in my heart slowly disappear. How happy he might be, I'm not in the mood to talk. I lay my head back on the pillow and close my eyes again. A small movement from the bed, tells me he's sitting down next to me.

"Sele… I don't know if you're still sad, but listen. I'm allowed to perform for real. It's all been arranged. Starting tomorrow we'll have a performance in the big theatre. Isn't that amazing? I don't know if you're still willing to help, but you're really appreciated. See you tomorrow."

* * *

Next chapter: Sele trying to get along with Rashid, who Sinbad still calls Harun and the rest of Sinbad's friends return.


	6. Chapter 6

Sinbad is nowhere to be seen when I wake up the next day. I get dressed and when I want to get myself something to eat, I find a little note in his handwriting.

_Sele, I'm at the theather, preparing things for the show this evening. If you feel like it, come by. I'm sure I can use you._

Ah yes. He had told me he was allowed to perform for real. Well, since I have nothing else to do, why not help him. I grab myself a piece of bread and head out. The walk to theater isn't really short, but I don't care. Feeling the sun on my skin and realizing I'm free is one of the best things in life. Except for some strange looks, that guys in dark alleys give me, I arrive at the theatre without any problem. I find Sinbad inside, on the stage, practicing for his show. I walk up to him and greet him.

"Good morning Sinbad. Busy already I see."

Sinbad turns to me, making a huge smile when he sees it's me.

"Sele," he says, "I'm so glad you're here."

"What? You thought I wouldn't come. You know we started this thing together, right? I want to see how it ends too."

He looks away, scratching the back of his head. "Well… you know… yesterday you seemed kind of angry. I don't understand why, but if you don't want to talk about it that's fine. It's just that, we've been together for a while now and you didn't share anything about who you are, or why you were in that dessert."

I sigh and sit down at the edge of the stage. Sinbad sits down next to me.

"I guess I should tell you about it. I get the feeling I can trust you, so I'll tell. I don't remember my early childhood, so all I can remember is being a slave. One day I killed some guys and I got put into the amphitheater. Since then I've been a gladiator. On our trip to Reim, we got attacked and you found me. But I guess you already realized I was a slave, with my shackles and stuff. Now I'm free and I'm really, really indebted to you. I can never thank you enough in my whole life. You know I-"

I stop when I see Sinbad's 'King Friend' enter the theater. Great, he's here too. I stand up and want to walk away, when Sinbad grabs my hand and Harun calls out to me. "Young lady, please wait." He says and Sinbad just whispers "Sele, why are you leaving?". Why am I leaving? I wonder myself. I guess something deep inside of me just screams and wants to stay away from the rich people. I get the feeling I can't trust them. Harun has gotten closer in the time my thoughts wandered and he speaks to me again. His voice sounds friendly, but I can't trust it.

"It seems we meet again. Whatever it is that makes you want to walk away from me, I'm sure we can talk this stuff out together. You seem like a friend to young Sinbad over here and so am I. Come with me and talk."

I look at Sinbad, hoping to find some support with him. All he does is nod. He wants me to talk to this king and since I've made the decision in my head to follow him, I will talk. I free my hand from Sinbad's and together with Harun, I walk out of the theater, to the nearest bar.

After having sent his guards away (who didn't want to leave at first. Who'd blame them after the little incident the other day), Harun sits down at a table in the corner of the bar. I sit down too. An awkward silence follows and I decide I should be the first one to talk.

"Harun, I-" Immediately my attempt to talk is interrupted and I'm actually glad for that.

"Please call me Rashid. I only used the name Harun as a pseudonym and somehow Sinbad just keeps calling me that."

"Okay then Rashid," I continue, "I'm really sorry about how I acted yesterday. I guess you just came to close. My reflexes are always on you know. One wrong move and you're dead. It's that easy. "

Rashid just smiles. Has he really forgotten I almost killed him? It's not really that hard to remember, having a blade pointed at you.

"I already forgave you yesterday, didn't I? So I have no reason to be angry at you. But somehow you do have a reason to be angry at me and I don't know which one. We never met, so I couldn't have harmed you in the past. And by the way you never answered my question yesterday for real. I won't take 'being a shadow of the past' as a name."

I can only sigh. I said something like that. That I was a shadow of the past, trying to start anew. When I think about it, that actually is me.

"It is because Sinbad trusts you and I trust him that I'm willing to tell you. But this is really personal. Don't mock with me or you're really dead. My name is Sele, I used to be a slave and gladiator in Parthevia. I've fought for years and I've killed many people. There isn't really much more to tell about me. I can't remember my home. In my mind I've always been a slave."

"Then why are you angry at me?" Rashid asks.

"I'm not angry. I think it's just… I don't know. You're a king. One of those rich guys that only uses people for his own purposes. You may look and talk nice, but you could just be a horrible man. I can't see if you have hundreds of slaves at your house, working hard for your wellbeing, or not. I can't trust the rich."

"But you can't trust the poor either. " he interrupts. Somehow I managed to get rid of his smile, because he's looking at me very seriously. "You can't make accusations towards me, without knowing what's the truth. I can assure you that I have no slaves in my palace. There might be some in my country, but I don't own them."

He stands up and walks away. "You speak very wise for a lady your age. I hope that somehow, we can get into a better relationship."

I stand up as well and return to the theater to help Sinbad with his performance. I forget to tell him what I wanted to say before : that I want to stay with him. When the evening comes, Sinbad owns the stage. I see Rashid enjoy the show too.

After that Rashid seems to become a person we meet daily. He wants Sinbad to write his autobiography. At the same time he tries to teach me how to read and write, things I've never been really able to. Though our relationship is getting better, I still can't make my feeling of distrust go away. He respects it and gives me my space. And so months fly by. Months that go to fast for me. In my head Sinbad will stay in this city forever, but I'm wrong. When we get back to our room, we have a nice chat for the first time in a few weeks. It starts as a little talk about some stupid guys we saw on the streets and then about other countries. The part of other countries is what Sinbad really likes.

"You know," he tells me, "I think my friends will come back soon. When they're here I can travel again."

His words pierce through my heart. "Your friends?" I say. I guess he did tell about them, but I just forgot.

Sinbad nods. "I haven't seen them for a while, they're getting stuff to trade for me. I heard their ship will arrive tomorrow. Then I can finally say goodbye to this city."

"Sinbad…" I wonder what I should do. As it is now I have nowhere to go. "I… Can I come with you. You know.. like traveling with you. I have nowhere to go otherwise."

He looks at me with a strange look first. Then he smiles. "I thought that was obvious. You don't think you're going to spend months with me and then just go away. Of course you're coming with me."

His words make me happy. So happy I just start to cry. Never have I felt like this before. I feel like I belong somewhere.

As Sinbad said the ship with his friends arrives the next day. Sinbad waits for them near his trading company. Rashid is with him, so I'm keeping my distance. I watch two giants, and two 'normal' guys get of the ship. Later I see a boy and some kind of oversized baby too. One moment later all of them seem dumbfounded by the building Sinbad has made home to his company. When Sinbad calls out to them, they seem even more amazed. I guess he did change a little. But they seem even more amazed of Rashid. I guess he can impress people easy, being a king and all. I see Rashid saying goodbye to Sinbad as he walks towards his own ship. I wave a little, getting a wave back in return. Maybe he isn't as bad as I think he is. Sinbad gets hugs and laughter from his friends. Then he turns to me and winks me. I guess that's my cue. I walk closer to him and stand still in front of his friends.

"This is Sele. She'll be traveling with us from now on." Sinbad says. I make a small bow.

"It's nice to meet you." I say. A moment of silence follows, then before I know it, I'm hugged by the male giant. They introduce themselves to me and tell me they're happy to meet me. How much of it is true, I don't know. But I do know I like them more than royalty.

….

I wake up to see the ceiling I'm so used to seeing. Sunlight is entering my room from the window. I… what had happened again? I couldn't sleep anymore so I went to Dunya and then… I remember, I collapsed. I want to get out of my bed, but just when I set one foot outside of it, my door swings open. Sinbad enters together with Ja'far and Yamuraiha. Great, my king had to bring the guy that found me with him.

"Sele, I'm glad you awake." Sinbad says. He gets pushed away by Yamuraiha almost immediately.

"Are you feeling alright? You really made us worry, collapsing like that in the morning. It's not like you."

"I'm fine." I say. Suddenly a headache comes along.

_Are you sure you're alright? I think we can use some more sleep._

"shut up" I whisper.

"Excuse me?" Yamuraiha says.

"That was not intended for you. Seriously." I quickly say. "It was just Pseudo."

"You can't call her 'just' Pseudo you know." Sinbad says. "She's unpredictable. One wrong move and she could kill quite a lot of people."

"But that's not happening. We have our own agreement so nothing will go wrong." I yell. Again a headache follows. I grab my head. It hurts.

"You're not well yet. Go back and get some sleep. I'll see to your duties." Ja'far says.

"You can't do that Ja'far. You already have too much work." Why does he say such a thing? He's already the most busy guy around. He can't take my work too.

"It's better than seeing you collapse again. You need your rest." He answers as he turns around and walks out of my room. Yamuraiha follows him.

"I'll come back later to see how you're doing." She says before she disappears from my sight.

I nod. Sinbad helps be back into my bed. I want to talk to him. I want to talk so much. But I guess Pseudo was right. I need my rest, because when my head hits the pillow I fall asleep once again.

* * *

**To Sasan we go. Or maybe I'll do a little bonuschapter. I don't know. **


	7. Chapter 7

**It's been forever since I updated this little story. I thought, why not now?**

* * *

I'm unable to move for the next day. When I wake up from a nightmare about the life of a slave, I see Sinbad sitting at my bedside. He seems worried and horribly tired. I raise my arm and touch his hand. He shivers as he's pulled out of his own thoughts. When he sees it was me who did it, I see a small sparkle in his eyes. He picks up my hand and puts it against his head. Then he looks back at me and forces himself to smile.

"How are you feeling, Sele?" He asks me.

"Horrible," I answer, "I get the feeling I'm being torn apart from the inside."

"That doesn't surprise me. You've had a huge fever ever since you collapsed. Yamuraiha said it might be something like a twin's shared feelings. Dunya's condition has gotten worse for a while now. It could explain your sudden illness."

I shake my head. "I don't believe in something as trivial as twins sharing feelings."

"I thought so, but think about. Didn't you fall ill just like now, when the Mustashim revolt happened?"

He's right. I remember collapsing during one of our journeys. I got a high fever and slept almost nonstop for 4 days. After that I was back to normal like nothing happened. Thinking about it, it could've been caused by Dunya falling in depravity.

"If it's really something like that, then don't you think there's much more coming up?"

Sinbad tilts his head. "What do you mean?"

"Dunya dying. It's inevitable, right? If this is caused by her weakening, then her death…"

Tears come into my eyes. Then another headache, it's worse than the last time. I grab my head, close my eyes and gasp for air. I feel Sinbad's arms around mine. His voices reaches my ears, but I can't figure out what he's trying to say. He lets go of me and walks to the door. I think I hear him call for Yamuraiha. I feel sorry for her. First she had to take care of Dunya and now there's me too. Another headache appears and I feel like I'm suffocating. Why can't I get any air? I softly hear footsteps from the hallway. Suddenly a thought arises to my head. _Are my arms covered? _The last time I felt like I was suffocating was when I didn't have them covered. I put my arm against my forehead and feel the cold metal. So I'm really suffocating for no reason then. The footsteps have come closer. In the end one set sets in a sprint.

"Sele! Sele! Can you hear me!" It's Yamuraiha. She really came. I try to open my eyes, but I can't get them further than slits. It seems she's more than happy with that response though.

"What's wrong with her?" I hear Sinbad ask.

"I don't know. Dunya's condition is pretty stable, so I don't see why this should be happening."

"Maybe it's not your twin bond." Sinbad teases her.

"I doubt it's anything else though. And could you please go away for now. I need to focus on Sele here. I think this should help…"

I hear her say one of her spells and suddenly the air is back again. I pant and take all the air I can breathe to me. Then I black out once again, hearing the voices of my dear friends calling out my name.

….

When I open my eyes again there's no one around. I feel thirsty and I decide to get some water. I sit up and put one of my feet to the ground. Then a white flower catches my eye. It's a white lily, the one we burn when a person has died. I pick up the flower and slowly I walk out of my room.

The palace seems to be deserted. When I look out of a window I see a dark cloud of smoke rise up from the garden. I clench the flower into my hand. I get a bad feeling. Seeking support by the walls, I slowly move forward. The inside of my head is a mess, a collection of thoughts. Instead of getting myself some water to drink, I end up in the garden, at the source of the smoke. It's exactly what I expected and what I'd hoped not to see. A fire burning a person's body. Next to the fire I can see Aladdin and his friends, Yamuraiha and Sinbad. They all look saddened. I understand who the person, the fire is eating, is and why the flower had been placed by my bed. Slowly I walk to the fire and carefully I throw my flower into it. Suddenly the strength that had brought me here disappears and I fall to my knees. Sinbad sees me and rushes to my side.

"What are you doing here?" He asks me. He waves at Yamuraiha, who hurries the moment she sees me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask, tears falling down my face. "Why didn't you tell me she had died?"

"I couldn't. You were in such a weakened state. Waking you and telling you your sister had died, that would've been stupid."

"So what? You'd tell me the next time I'd wake up. Do you think I didn't notice she was going to die. Did you think the flower on my floor didn't tell it all?"

I feel Yamuraiha's hand on my shoulder. "Sele, I understand your feelings. It's saddening you couldn't say farewell to your sister, but it couldn't be done any other way. For now you should return to your room and rest. You're everything but healed."

I shake my head. "Let me sit here… Let me look at her final moments in this world." I say. Though I've never had any relationship with her, I feel a part of myself missing. The part of me that I always carried with me. The part that would help me and destroy me. It was now burning right in front of me. I don't know how long I've been sitting there, crying, but I guess I fell asleep again eventually, because the next time I open my eyes it's my old ceiling again.


End file.
